Kallio Closes In On Rabat With Indianapolis Victory

Mika Kallio has closed to within seven points of his teammate Esteve Rabat in the race for the Moto2 title after winning the Indianapolis Grand Prix. The Finn held his nerve in a race which had to be restarted following a multiple-rider pile-up on lap four and comfortably saw off Maverick Vinales and Dominique Aegerter while Rabat missed out on the podium altogether.

Kallio looked to have built up a decisive advantage within the opening lap after making a sensational getaway, especially with his teammate mired in a battle with Aegerter and Vinales, but the appearance of the red flags changed that. The stoppage was necessitated by an accident involving Mattia Pasini, Azlan Shah, Anthony West and Randy Krummenacher which left Pasini stricken on the grass run-off area and with the Italian requiring trackside treatment, race direction were left with no option but to call a halt to proceedings.

The Grand Prix was shortened to sixteen laps and although he never enjoyed the same kind of advantage he had before the stoppage, Kallio continued to have a measure of control over his rivals. A blistering first lap gave him one second in hand over Aegerter, who had leapfrogged Rabat in a carbon copy of the original start, and the Finn kept his pursuers at arm’s length throughout.

Protecting a 19 point championship lead, Rabat aimed to limit the damage by passing Aegerter at the start of lap two but Maverick Vinales was emerging as the biggest threat to the second Marc VDS Kalex and duly snatched second at turn one just four laps from home. Aegerter was still in close company and took advantage of a wrong-footed Rabat to steal third as they hit the brakes for turn two.

With that, Rabat was nailed in fourth for thirteen championship points although he was comfortably clear of Simone Corsi who took fifth for Forward Racing. Sandro Cortese held off the impressive Hafizh Syahrin for sixth while Alex de Angelis, Anthony West and Johann Zarco rounded out the top ten.